The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is the lead Federal agency responsible for research on the causes, consequences, prevention and treatment of alcohol-related problems. It is the primary source for research and scientific information on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASO), having funded the majority of national and international research since Fetal alcohol syndrome was discovered in 1973. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASO) is a term used to describe a range of disabilities and diagnoses associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. The complexity and chronicity of FASO impacts both the individual and their family, and required assistance from a wide range of services including health, community, remedial education and many others. Therefore, FASO has a huge economic and societal impact as those affected suffer a lifelong disability and may require lifelong support. The lnstitute's international effort in this area, the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder {CIFASD), works to Inform and develop effective interventions and treatment approaches for FASO, through multidisciplinary research involving basic, behavioral and clinical Investigators and projects. As part of the National Institutes of Health, NIAAA shares in Director Francis Collins' vision of NIH participation in global health research, especially providing assistance to research poor countries. One area of research currently lacking that is important to prevention and policy efforts is that of establishing accurate prevalence statistics for FASO throughout the regions of the world.